A Real-Time Mobile Image Analysis Tool (MIAT) for Field and Command Staff During the Emergency Response Phase

Within hours of an event state personnel must conduct a Preliminary Disaster Assessment (PDA) estimating the amount of damage to justify a Presidential Disaster Declaration. This paper describes a project supported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for developing a mobile application to collect geospatial information using either connected or disconnected modes, and ingesting pre- and post-disaster imagery as a guide for field personnel. In this research we worked with the state of Louisiana emergency management parish directors supporting PDA estimates and DHS staff in a 1) data needs assessment and 2) concept and implementation solution development for this mobile geographic solution. A mobile geospatial application for iOS/Android devices was developed for recording, transmitting, and visualizing field collected, geos patial, and remote sensing imagery on mobile-held devices (i.e. cell phone and tablets). The entire software solution was developed with open-source and custom code and will be distributed freely.